Rising Legacy
by Dragon6
Summary: Naruto is back! He is much stronger than before and ready to deal with the Akatsuki. However, it is not his only enemy this time. There is a group that wants to see Konoha and all that they have created burn to the ground. Naruto will not allow that to happen and his friends are right there with him, including a love interest in a blond haired kunoichi with control issues.
1. Chapter 1

It had been two and a half years. The Hidden Village of the Leaves had grown to become even more powerful. With the new Godaime Hokage, Tsunade, things were running smoothly and everyone was very happy. Well, almost everyone. Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked at the team in front of her. Team Ebisu, which consisted of Konohamaru Sarutobi, Udon, Moegi and their jōnin sensei Ebisu, stood in front of her. She looked at them and only three of them looked sorry. Konohamaru looked very defiant in her presence. She just sighed.

"I can understand why 'Tora' gave you so much trouble but you had a simple painting job to do. How did you mess that up?" Tsunade asked.

"We're sorry lady Hokage. I take full responsibility for my team's actions." Ebisu said.

"Not this time. This time, Konohamaru is going to take responsibility. This is the fifth simple D-rank that he's messed up." Tsunade said. Konohamaru looked at her with surprise but he quickly gave her a challenging look.

"Well, maybe I'm not being challenged enough!" Konohamaru exclaimed. Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. "We've been genin for a month and all we have done are these chores. When the boss was a genin, he got a C-rank within a month. Just give us a chance to prove that we're ready."

"That might have worked with Sarutobi sensei but I'm a lot different than he was. If you want me to give you a higher ranked mission then show me that you can do these missions well." Tsunade said with authority. Konohamaru looked like he wanted to argue but a hand on his shoulder from Moegi made him stop. He sighed and nodded at Tsunade. Feeling a little bad for him, she gave him a friendly smile. "I'll tell you what, you do the next ten D-rank missions really well and I'll hand you a good C-rank mission." Konohamaru gave Tsunade a smile.

"Thanks a lot big sister!" Konohamaru exclaimed. Tsunade smiled at him and was glad for the title. She then looked at her calendar and saw the date that was circled. Her smile got wider and she turned to the team.

"You guys can start now. I need an escort to the front of the village. We are welcoming back one of our own today."

_**XXX**_

Two males entered the village, one an old man, the other a young teen. The old man was wearing a green short shirt kimono and matching pants; under which he wore mesh armor that showed out of the sleeves and legs of his outfit. He also wore hand guards, a simple black belt, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, a red haori with two simple yellow circles on each side, and a scroll on his back. On his head was horned forehead protector with the symbol for 'oil' on it. The teen next to him wore something similar to that. He wore pale grey robes with a design of red flames on the edges, with a green ribbon showing a curled gold design tied in a loose bow around his waist. He also wore the standard black mesh shirt with red lining, and wore puffy black pants that are tighter around the ankles. He wore a pair of black sandals to complete the outfit.

After some time walking, the blonde haired, blue-eyes teenager ran up a pole to get a good look at the village that was his home. The white-haired man just smiled at him as he threw his arm out like he wanted to hug the village.

"Hey Leaf Village, your future Hokage has returned!" he exclaimed. Naruto had a huge grin and let out a long breathe. He then observed the village and saw that some things had changed, including the addition to the Hokage Monument. "Ha, hey Pervy Sage, Granny Tsunade got her face on the monument."

"The more things change, the more things stay the same." A voice said. Naruto looked to his left to see Kakashi sitting on the roof. "Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!" he greeted and jumped off the pole to see his old sensei. The man hadn't changed at all, still in the same clothes and same style. "How have you been sensei?"

"I've been good Naruto. I like the new clothes." Kakashi said.

"Oh thanks, these are my training and out-going clothes. Oh, I've got a surprise for you." Naruto said and dug into his pack. He pulled out a green colored book and handed it to him. Kakashi was surprised and in awe at the book that he was given.

"Naruto, this… is…" Kakashi said in shock.

"Yeah, it's the new book that the Pervy Sage wrote. It's pretty boring if you ask me so you can have it. Truth be told, he should do a sequel to his first book but he's too much of an old fool to do so." Naruto commented.

"Shut up brat! What the hell do you know about literature?!" Jiraiya spat.

"I think he has a good grasp of literature." A voice said. Everyone turned to see Tsunade flanked by team Ebisu and Shizune. Naruto smiled and jumped off the roof. He dashed and caught Tsunade in a hug. The woman returned to hug, which she did not have to bend down to do. He released her and gave Shizune a hug too. Moegi was next and he gave Udon and Konohamaru a hi-five each. He shook Ebisu's hand before turning his attention back to Tsunade.

"So, how's being Hokage been for you Granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked. Ignoring the twitch, Tsunade just sighed.

"It's a little stressful kid. Too much work to do." She answered.

"Well, I hope that this helps." Naruto said as he dug into his bag and pulled out a scroll. He handed her the scroll and a small note. He pulled out another scroll and handed it to Shizune. He then pulled out a scroll each for his little friends. They each thank him for the gifts.

"Hey, don't I get a welcome back?" Jiraiya asked with a pout.

"Yeah, I missed your antics too." Tsunade said dryly. "However, I do have something for you."

"Oh, is it soft, big and creamy?" Jiraiya asked with a perverted grin. Tsunade looked at her escort. They each nodded and charged. Moegi hit Jiraiya in the balls hard while Udon and Konoha kept Jiraiya from falling. They were able to hold him up long enough for Tsunade to finger flick Jiraiya and send him tumbling along the road. He laid in a heap as team Ebisu got back into position. Naruto looked at Tsunade.

"Do I even want to know why you did that?" Naruto asked.

"Your idiot of a master was to keep me updated on your growth. The truth is, I don't know if I should keep you at chūnin-level or move you up to jōnin level. If he had kept me updated, I would have had an idea by now." Tsunade explained.

"Well, he might have had a reason but I'll let you and him talk. I'm going home to get some rest." Naruto said.

"Okay but be prepared to be called on tomorrow. I need to see just how strong you've become." Tsunade said. Naruto nodded and waved a good-bye to everyone. Tsunade watched him before smirking. Shizune saw that smirk and wondered why. That's when she remembered something that would greet Naruto when he reached home.

"That wasn't nice lady Tsunade. What if he walks in on her?" she asked.

"I'll miss the most hilarious thing to happen in a couple of months." Tsunade said. She walked up to Jiraiya and began to drag him back to her office for a proper talk.

_**XXX**_

Naruto unlocked his door to his apartment and entered. He was happy to be back in his old home and glad that it wasn't a mess. As he took a deeper step into his apartment, he began to notice a lot of different things. The most important thing was all his stuff had been replaced. His couch, his tables, everything that he brought was gone. Granted, the stuff he saw now was definitely better quality but it was his stuff. He also noticed that all his most important stuff was no in a case that was against his wall. He was thankful for that but he wished that Tsunade didn't get rid of his old furniture.

He entered his kitchen and found that most of his ramen was gone. It was replaced with other foods, healthy foods. Even his fridge was stocked up with stuff. He was a little frustrated but he ignored it for now. He decided to go to his room and get a few winks of sleep. He made his way to his room and opened the door. He threw it open to see some very surprising. It was a girl, a very sexy looking girl, a very sexy looking girl with no top on and a pair of panties. Admiring the pair that she had on her chest, he looked up and went white as a sheet when he saw who it was that he had just walked in on. He could never forget the angry green pupil-less eyes of Ino Yamanaka.

Naruto quickly shut the door and held it closed. What the hell was Ino doing in his apartment, changing her clothes? That's when a blade of a tanto pierced through the door, right next to his head. Naruto quickly moved out of the way and ran to the living room. He heard his room door open and a loud growl behind him. He now had to survive Ino's rage so that he could get him some answers.

_**XXX**_

Jiraiya rubbed the bump on his forehead. He gave Tsunade a dirty look but she ignored him for the sake that she was drinking. She could enjoy because of Naruto's note that told her how to beat that infernal paperwork.

"Was that really necessary? You heard what Naruto said. I was too busy to send you reports about his progress." Jiraiya said with a tone.

"What about after all your problems went away? Don't try to deny it. I got the reports of the attacks on Orochimaru by the Akatsuki. You could have continued to send me the information about Naruto." Tsunade said.

"Okay, I guess I forgot but the kid is doing fine. You don't trust me to make him strong?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'm just glad he's not as perverted as you are. So, how has he grown?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, Orochimaru did us a favor. His constant attacks on Naruto and I improved Naruto's ability to think, plan and observe. It also led him to learn about the Shadow Clones true purpose. It has explored many more avenues for the kid. He learned a bit of everything and improved on what he had in his arsenal. I guess the most improved thing he has done is his control of the nine-tails' chakra." Jiraiya said.

"Explain." Tsunade stated.

"Well, I was not onto that training. In fact, the relationship between the two has really improved. It isn't on the level of Killer Bee and the eight-tails but its' get there. He is really in sync with his chakra. He can control up to four tails worth of his chakra." Tsunade was very surprised to hear that. That meant that he could go into a semi-transformed state and still have some control. Jiraiya, seeing her face, began again. "Don't worry about Naruto. He knows not to use that form unless he has any other choice. He rarely has to use it anyway. With just three tails worth, he's a match for most jōnin."

"Well, I prepare a test for him to see just how far he has gotten. Maybe a spar with Kakashi will show just how much he has grown." Tsunade said. That's when she got serious. "I'm assuming that you know about this new group that has popped up?"

"Yeah, I've heard of them. I've tried to get some infor but it is small. What I do know is that they have made enemies of us, Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Several spies from all of us have been taken out as of recently. What I can tell you is that it is a group of four." Jiraiya said.

"I didn't know about the Akatsuki. They must be either brave or stupid to take them on. I do know that Orochimaru is trying to find this team and kill them. The question is why are they focusing on us?" Tsunade said.

"You're not kidding. I don't know what this group's plan is but we need to be very careful about how we handle them." Jiraiya said. Tsunade nodded and took a sip of her sake. There was knock on the door and Tsunade gave the command to enter. Shizune entered with a nervous looking face.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, there is a disturbance at the apartment building where Naruto lives. Apparently, there are loud noises and the sounds of a battle going on. Should I send someone to stop it?" Shizune asked.

"Nah, she'll give up eventually. They will have to get along if they are going to live together." Tsunade said. Shizune just sighed while Jiraiya gave her a questioning glance. The woman just kept her smile and took another sip of her sake.

_**XXXXX**_


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto had built a little fort around him. He fortified his position and waited for the rage that was Ino Yamanaka to return. After dodging and flinging things in her way to avoid death, the toweled Ino decided to get dress and return. Naruto used this time to get ready for her again. When Ino entered his view, he got a good look at her. She was wearing a pair of black boots that had heels. She was also wearing a pair of short black biker shorts, a lavender colored heavy sweater which was cover by a purple jacket. She had on a black wrist band as well. She was carrying a small bag and her tanto. She glared at Naruto who looked ready to defend himself. She put her weapons and clothes in the kitchen before coming back to the living room with her arms folded.

"Well?" Ino demanded.

"Well what? Why are you in _my_ apartment, using _my_ shower, getting dressed in _my_ room?" Naruto demanded himself.

"First of all, it's no longer your room. It's my room. Your room is down the hall." Ino answered. She then got a look at Naruto who was now standing up. "You've grown up. You're much taller than before. You were a real shorty back then." Ino said with a jab.

"Ha, ha, can I relax now?" Naruto asked. Ino nodded and Naruto fixed the place up. After he was done, he kept himself at a distance knowing just how Ino really was. She just smirked at him and stood there. There was a small silence until Ino spoke.

"So, how was your trip?" Ino asked.

"It wasn't a trip. It was a training mission. As for that mission, it went well. Orochimaru kept coming after me but I kept sending them packing." Naruto boasted. Ino didn't take that well.

"That's not something to be proud of. You really think that Orochimaru having a bounty on your head is something that is cool?" Ino berated him.

"Well no, it's not cool but it did get me some experience. Either way, I don't think that he'll be bothering me anymore. From what I heard, he pissed off some really bad guys and he's on the run. Besides, I would assume that I wasn't the only one he attacked. He had to be pissed that the bastard is dead." Naruto said.

"I know Sakura was pissed. She's no longer a part of the village." Ino said.

"Sakura's gone? Where? When?" Naruto asked.

"She left a week after Sasuke was execution. She had her skills removed and emancipated herself from the village. There's been no word of her since." Ino said.

"Wow, I didn't think she would do that. I figured she would have stayed in the village and plot her revenge." Naruto said while scratching his head. "What about the others and yourself? What have you guys been up to?"

"Well, I'm a chūnin now. Not only that, I'm under the command of Ibiki Morino. I'm usually in charge of checking over the mental health of shinobi but sometimes I do interrogations. Um, let's see, Shikamaru is still a chūnin, Chōji is a chūnin, Kiba, Lee, Tenten & Hinata are chūnin as well. Shino and Neji are jōnin with Shino being a member of the ANBU." Ino reported.

"Shino? In the ANBU? He's like fifteen!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I know but it suits him well. Um, your little friends are genin and I think Hinata's sister is a genin as well. Oh, Shikamaru and Temari might be dating. I'm not sure but I'm close to figuring it out. Shikamaru is our ambassador when dealing with Suna, so the two are always together. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you." Ino said.

"Well, that was informative. Look, I'm pretty tired and I could use some sleep. How about I make it up to you by buying you something?" Naruto asked. Ino thought about the offer and smiled.

"Well, there is this dress I was looking to get." Ino said with a smirk. Naruto groaned and gave her a look. "Don't give me that! You got yourself a show pervert!"

"Alright, alright, I'll get you anything." Naruto said. Ino nodded happily and grabbed her stuff. She made her way to a door but stopped to give Naruto a glare.

"Oh and stay out of my room. I catch you in there and I will cause you pain." Ino warned. Naruto was confused until he remembered what she told him earlier. It made him realize that Ino was his roommate. That just couldn't be right.

"That's not a funny joke Ino. This is one room penthouse, my house." Naruto stated.

"Was your house. Now, it is ours. Since I was staying here since two years ago and watching the place, I made some changes. Your room is down the hall, to the right. When I get back, we're going to have to discuss bathroom usage." And with that Ino left the apartment. Naruto couldn't believe this. Why the hell was she even living here? With a tired sigh, Naruto made his way to check out his new room and get some sleep.

_**XXX**_

The next morning, Naruto was called to the stadium by the Hokage. He wanted to talk to the Hokage about his new roommate but he was told to go there or be thrown there. He entered the stadium and looked around. He couldn't help but remember his victory in this place against Neji. The crowd was cheering for him and giving him congratulations. He couldn't help but be smug about that day. He was so focused on patting himself on the back that he did not feel someone behind him.

"I hope that you don't think that I be as easy as Neji." The voice said. Naruto flinched and saw that he was facing Kakashi. He glared at his sensei.

"Damn it, don't do that!" Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi just grinned at him and smiled with his eye. Naruto relaxed and turned to face Tsunade who was looking down at him. "We are going to have a serious talk about boundaries Granny Tsunade!"

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Tsunade said with a smirk. She then got serious. "Chūnin Uzumaki, you will be tested today to see just how much you have improved. Since your moron of a sensei didn't find it important to keep me updated, I'll be testing you against one of our strongest jōnin."

"Is it Kurenai?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"No." Tsunade answered.

"Super Bushy-Brow sensei?"

"No."

"Oh, I know. It's Iruka, right?"

"He's still a chūnin and you know damn well who I'm talking about." Tsunade spat. Naruto just chuckled and faced Kakashi.

"Still a wise ass Naruto? That hurt my feelings, you know." Kakashi said with a deadpan voice. He then raised his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan. Naruto looked surprised by this.

"Taking me seriously huh?" Naruto asked.

"I would be a fool not to." Kakashi said. Naruto got into his fighting stance and readied himself. Kakashi readied himself as well. Tsunade saw that they were ready and raised her hand. When she dropped it down, the two were already doing hand seals.

"Fire Style: Flame Bombs!" Naruto shouted and fired oil-fueled fireball at Kakashi.

"Water Style: Water Wall!" Kakashi shouted and spat out a huge amount of water. The two jutsu clashed and steam was covering the field. The Water Wall would win but Kakashi gained some distance just in case Naruto ignited the oil that may have mixed with the water. From out of the steam came several clones. Kakashi threw several shuriken but they missed when Naruto's clones used the Illusion Dance. Kakashi used his Sharingan to find the real Naruto when he was attacked from below. He jumped in the air to avoid Naruto's hands. That's when he was swarmed by Naruto's clones.

Kakashi had a hard time dodging Naruto's clones. His taijutsu had improved greatly and Kakashi was hard pressed not to get hit. He also noticed tears in his clothing. Using the Sharingan, he could see that Naruto had coated his arms and legs with wind. He realized that Naruto had combined his Air Blade attack with his taijutsu, making hand-to-hand very dangerous. Kakashi then did a hand seal and exploded, taking the clones with him. Everyone who was watching the match waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, you could see that the two were standing away from one another.

"Not bad Kakashi-sensei. You had me fooled with that clone of yours." Naruto said.

"You have impressed me Naruto. You've created a taijutsu that many would be crazy to face. I guess that means that I will have to take this up a level." Kakashi said and quickly did some hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he shouted and spat out a huge fireball. Naruto slammed his hands on the ground.

"Earth Style: Terra Shield!" Naruto shouted. A slab of earth appeared to protect him. He quickly went underground as the fireball blew away the earth slab. Naruto did another series of hand seals. "Earth Style: Earthen Corridor!" Kakashi was trapped as the earth rose up and surrounded him. He saw an exit that was above him and jumped into the air. That's when he was swarmed by clones. He looked at the exit to see two Naruto.

"Wind Style: Air Bullets!"

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" The two attacks combined to make some large balls of fire that crashed into the hole that was made. Kakashi was bombarded and sent into the ground. Naruto and the clone landed on either side of the earthen Corridor and waited. That's when the both of them were dragged into the ground. Two Kakashi popped out of the ground and looked down at the two.

"That was a nice combination Naruto." Kakashi said.

"Thanks but you shouldn't be standing so close to me." The clone said before he exploded, consuming Kakashi's clone. The real Naruto flared his chakra and loosen the ground around him. He then began to spin.

"Air Blade Twister!" Naruto shouted. Kakashi had to use a Body Flicker to escape the Air Blades that were thrown in all directions. Naruto stopped his spinning and held out his hand. He began to gather chakra into his hand and it formed into the Rasengan. Kakashi did some hand seals and the Lightning Blade appeared. Kakashi rushed Naruto and vice versa. When the two met on the ground, Kakashi could see that there was a clone with Naruto. However, it did not stop either one of them from launching their attacks.

"Lightning Cutter!" Kakashi shouted.

"Giant Rasengan!" Naruto shouted. The two attacks collided and a huge explosion rocked the stadium and part of the village. Everyone on the outside looked toward the stadium to see a large cloud of smoke. Tsunade and others had to cover their eyes as stone and debris came flying at them. She removed her hand to survey the damage that the two had just done. She was very surprised and very annoyed at the crater that was in the middle of her stadium. One either side of the crater, Kakashi and Naruto were sitting on their asses. They also surveyed the damage done by their attacks.

"Whoops." Naruto stated.

"Yeah, I think we might have gone a little too far." Kakashi said.

"WHAT HAVE YOU TWO DONE TO MY STADIUM?!" Tsunade roared. Naruto quickly used the Body Flicker to escape and Kakashi followed. Tsunade chased after them with a squad of ANBU at her side. Watching from the shadows was a man with one eyed covered. He had black hair and wore a white shirt, with a black or dark grey robe over the top of it covering from his feet, to just over his right shoulder. He was also missing his right arm. He watched with interest and was impressed with young Naruto. He made his way out of the stadium and made his way to the Hokage tower where the meeting would be held.

_**XXX**_

The sound of a body hitting the ground was ignored by the three robed figures. They quickly made their way toward a man who was in the corner. He looked at the four in front of him. He couldn't see either of them but one of them held a kusarigama. He snarled at the four.

"Why are you doing this to me?! What have I've done?!" the man shouted.

"Your crime is being partners with that snake Orochimaru. It makes you a target?" the shorter of the four asked.

"I have not been in contact with him in years! He didn't care about my projects anymore! Look at what you have done! You have destroyed all my research!" the man shouted.

"Like we care. All we want is information. Tell me where we can find these places and you can leave here alive." The short person asked.

"Screw you, I will not be threatened by a child!" and he was about to do something when and arrow was shot into his forehead. He gasped and felt backwards on the ground. The four looked over him as his blood pooled around him. One of the robed figures turned toward the shorter one.

"Well this was a waste of time." The female voice said with annoyance.

"Heh, you didn't get enough blood?" the tallest of them said. She cursed and sucked her teeth. The shorter one did not comment and turned to leave. The other three followed them out as the fire around burned everything to ash.

_**XXXXX**_


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto stood in front of the shinobi council and waited. He was kind of beat up due to Tsunade catching him. He was brought before the shinobi council to get his review. He stood still and waited for them to speak.

"Alright then, you all saw the fight and you all were a witness to his skills. I will be eliminating myself due to how close we are and to dissuade any bias. We'll start with you Shikaku." Tsunade said. The man sighed and looked at Naruto.

"I was pretty impressed with your tactics. You seemed to have become even more annoyingly clever during your training trip. I do feel that we did not see all of your skills but I know that we will pretty soon. It is because of that, I believe that the rank of Special Jōnin would be best at the moment." Shikaku said. He looked at his fellow members who all nodded at his analysis. That's when the ANBU commander spoke.

"I agree with Shikaku but I do believe that if he gains some experience in the field, with him as leader, will help. I do believe that giving him any missions below C-rank would be a waste of his skills." The person said.

"Alright, as of this moment, Naruto Uzumaki is hereby promoted to Special Jōnin." Tsunade said. Shizune came and handed Naruto his new flak vest. It had more pockets that his chūnin jacket. He couldn't wait to alter it but that was dashed away when Tsunade told him not to. She then faced the council again. "Is there any questions for Naruto?" No one had any questions until a voice rang out through the room.

"Why did you not use the power within you?" the voice said. Everyone looked around when an elder stepped out of the shadows. The person was a frail, old man, who was walking with a cane. He had black, shaggy hair, and his right eye was bandaged. He had an x-shaped scar on his chin as well. He wore a white shirt, with a black or dark grey robe over the top of it covering from his feet, to just over his right shoulder. The robe concealed his right arm. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Elder Danzō, I did not know you were here. Next time, announce yourself or else." Tsunade said with a short tone.

"My apologizes but I was there for the match. I am fully aware that you have some measure of control of the Nine-Tails. I was curious as to why you did not show that ability. It could have gained you full jōnin status." Danzō said.

"If that was the case, I would have not accepted the promotion. I should not be judge on my control of the Nine-Tails chakra. My skills are good as they are." Naruto explained.

"I understand but we would have liked to have seen just how much of its power you can control." Danzō continued.

"We are shinobi elder. Even among those in our village, we do not readily give out such information. Information is important in our lives. Just know that I have worked out the use of the power of the Nine-Tails." Naruto stated seriously. Danzō did not like the answer and was about to push but Tsunade cut him off.

"That will be enough of your interrogation Danzō. I trust Naruto with the power of the Nine-Tails as does Jiraiya. If you have any questions, you may direct them to me." Tsunade ordered. The elder frowned but backed off. With that done, Naruto was excused from the room. He walked away but gave a brief glance to Danzō. He wondered why the fox was reacting to him in a menacing way.

_**XXX**_

Naruto arrived back at his apartment after celebrating his promotion with Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune and Tonton. After a while, Tsunade and Jiraiya were called away to a meeting and Kakashi had to go. As Naruto walked into his home, he stopped and looked around.

"Ino? Are you in here?" Naruto shouted out. He got no answer and went to check, knocking on her door. That's when he saw a note that explained that she would not be home and would be at the Torture & Interrogation Department for the night. Naruto shrugged and placed the note away. Realizing that he was alone, Naruto sat on his floor and entered a meditative position. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. When he reopened his eyes he was in front of the cage of the Nine-Tails.

The relationship of the two had improved during the training mission. Jiraiya had left the training of mastering his chakra to the demon. The two would often argue but Naruto was a determined student. He thrived under the beast that enjoyed trying to break him. Their mutual respect for each other had grown and they became partners. They worked well together.

"So, aren't you going to congratulate me?" Naruto asked with a big grin. The fox just scoffed at him.

"**So you went up in rank, big whoop. You wouldn't be half the ninja if it wasn't for me.**" The fox said.

"Still a little bitch huh? That's okay, I know you like me somewhat." Naruto said with a smirk. He suddenly got serious. "So, what was that feeling earlier? You mad about something?"

"**It was that man, the one with the bandages. That man is dangerous. He tried something when he looked at you. It was as if he was trying to control me through you. It was something that hasn't happened since I attacked the village.**" the fox explained. Naruto knew what really happened the night of his birth from the mouth of the fox. Knowing what happened, Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The only thing that can control you is the Sharingan. That shouldn't be possible. Kakashi-sensei is the only one who has had the Sharingan successfully implanted into him and the only person who did it is dead." Naruto said.

"**Yes, you are right. Also, I felt something else familiar. It feels like he can bind my power as well and we both know what can do that.**" Naruto was now really worried about who this man was. What else could this Danzō do and what was he hiding.

"That's going to be a problem. Lucky for us, we dealt with that problem. Took us mostly two and a half years to do it but we did it. Itachi will be in for a surprise when we go up against him again." Naruto said with a smirk.

"**That he will. You know, you would make a very good fox. It's too bad you were born human.**" The fox said. Naruto just gave him the middle finger before leaving. Naruto opened his eyes for a second and sat up. He made his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

_**XXX**_

Tsunade and Jiraiya were facing a major annoyance. It was Danzō and it looked like he was looking for answers.

"I don't know what you want for us Danzō. Naruto is really good at handling the Nine-Tails chakra. Why are you so worried?" Jiraiya asked jokingly.

"You belief in the boy does not sit well with me. What do you know about using the chakra of a tailed beast? By the way you are speaking and your tone, you truly don't have any idea just how much control he has. It also tells me that you weren't his teacher in controlling it. Has he been conversing with the demon itself?" Danzō demanded.

"Even if he has, that's really none of your business. If Naruto and the Nine-Tails are conversing, it means that Naruto has managed to gain the demon's trust and respect. I would think that you would be happy about this." Tsunade said with a bored tone.

"Then you would be wrong and your trusting the boy with the fox brings up questions of your leadership." Danzō stated.

"Well, that's why I'm the Hokage and you're not. I trust Naruto and I have faith that he knows what he is doing. This will be the last I hear of this Danzō." Tsunade warned.

"Very well lady Hokage, I shall leave it alone, for now." Danzō said and turned to leave. He exited the office and the two Sannin released a sigh. Jiraiya faced Tsunade.

"Why do you think he's so interested in Naruto's control of the demon's chakra?" he asked.

"I don't know but I don't like it. Let Naruto know to be on his toes." She said.

"I wouldn't worry. Naruto is no longer that naïve kid. He'll be prepared if Danzō decided to come after him."

_**XXX**_

Naruto was awakened by a loud banging on his door. Tiredly, he got up and made his way to his door. He opened it and he was surprised to see Shikamaru. He had grown noticeably taller. His hairstyle remains the same, but he changed his earrings from rings to studs. He was still wearing his flak jacket, along with a black long sleeved shirt paired with matching pants and sandals, and green lined mesh armor on his wrists and ankles. Naruto wiped his eyes and faced his friend.

"What's up Shikamaru?" Naruto asked tiredly.

"Sorry to wake you Naruto but there is an emergency. The Fifth Kazekage was kidnapped by the Akatsuki late last night." Shikamaru explained. Naruto quickly woke up at those words. He pulled Shikamaru inside and closed the door. He then faced him.

"What happened?" Naruto asked seriously.

"He was taken by one man, some who used clay to bomb the village. He wore a scratched symbol of Iwa. We don't know any more but we know that they work in two's. Kankuro was reported to have been going after him. Kakashi, Temari and Shizune are waiting for you at the gates." Shikamaru said. Naruto nodded and began to get ready. Before he did, he threw something at Shikamaru. It was a black book.

"There's a section in that book that is labeled 'Iwa'. Check it over and see if the guy that you mentioned is in there." Naruto said and went to get ready. Shikamaru was confused and opened the book. He was surprised to see several tags, each with a ninja village. He turned to the Iwa section and searched. By the fifth page, he found the man that Suna mentioned. When Naruto returned, he was wearing a standard jōnin uniform with his flak vest. His shins were taped and he had a belt tied to his waist. There were two shin guards that covered his forearms.

"Did you find him?" He asked. Shikamaru pointed to the guy and Naruto nodded and fixed himself. "Get that book to granny Tsunade and tell her who we are facing. I'll tell the others as we're going." Shikamaru nodded and the two left his apartment. They both vanished to get to their destination.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was with Temari, Shizune and Kakashi. They were traveling fast, hoping to reach the border within the day. Naruto wanted to move faster but he was convinced by the others to calm down. He did just that and was moving at their pace. As they moved, Kakashi spoke to him.

"So, we are dealing with Deidara, a missing ninja from Iwagakure?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, Shikamaru was able to tell by the abilities he used. Deidara use to be a student of the Sandaime Tsuchikage and was a member of their Explosion Corps. He suddenly turned traitor when he stolen a kinjutsu scroll to learn some sort of jutsu. He blew up several buildings in Iwa and fled. He's an S-rank ninja." Naruto explained.

"And Iwa just gave you this information?" Temari asked.

"When I was with the Pervy Sage, I suggested that we should figure out who else would be in the Akatsuki. With the exception of Amegakure, we managed to get a list of all of the S-rank shinobi from each village. Truth is, we kind of forced some of their hands." Naruto said.

"How?" Shizune asked.

"We gave each daimyō a gold copy of the Pervy Sage's book that was signed by him. Neither the Pervy Sage or I are allowed in Iwagakure or Kumogakure." Naruto said. "I meant to give it to Granny Tsunade but I was kind of busy fighting for my life when I returned." He looked at Shizune who just smirked at him.

"Whatever the case, we have a name to the face. Let's get going and deal with him. I will need all the information that you were able to remember of Deidara's tactics." Kakashi ordered. He nodded and the group continued on the way to Suna.

_**XXX**_

Tsunade read the book that Shikamaru had just given her. She was impressed with the work that Naruto and Jiraiya did. She took Deidara's page and put it in the Akatsuki section. After that, she continued to look at the book. For some reason, she looked into the Suna section of the book. She didn't really want to believe that someone from Suna would do something to Gaara but something came to her. Who would be the perfect match to deal with Gaara?

It was something that she thought us since learning of Itachi's and Kisame's attempt to get Naruto. She got reports back from her contacts in Kiri about the ability of Kisame's sword, Shark Skin. If Naruto used the Nine-tails chakra, that sword could easily take that chakra away. Then there was the well-known fact that the Sharingan can suppress the chakra of the demon. They were the best choice to go after Naruto and two other jinchūriki that she knew of. So who would be the best match to combat Gaara?

Deidara was actually a good choice due to his Explosion Style and the kinjutsu he stole. He could use his clay to attack from a distance. Knowing that the Akatsuki worked in pairs, who would be a compliment to him? As she searched, her eyes landed on one man. As she read what they got on him, she was sure that it could be him. If it was, then the team that she sent would not be enough. She was about to get a team when one just entered her office.

"Lady Hokage, we have returned within a day due to our youthful energy! Our mission was a success!" The excited man said. Tsunade just smirked at him.

"That's good to here. I'm sorry to say that you will need that energy right now." Tsunade said.

"What is going on?" asked the female.

"Team Gai, you are to re-equip and rest for thirty minutes. Once that is over, you are to immediately leave and back-up Kakashi's team who are heading to Suna. The Fifth Kazekage has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki and your skills would be the greatest asset to them. This is an S-rank mission." Tsunade said with seriousness.

"Yes ma'am." They said and left.

_**XXX**_

Naruto, Kakashi, Temari and a new face was making their way toward the Land of Rivers. That new ally was elder Chiyo. They arrived in Sunagakure within three days. They quickly made their way to the hospital where Kankuro was in critical condition. When they entered the room, the old woman saw Kakashi and suddenly attacked him. Naruto quickly came to his sensei's defense and stopped the woman cold. They two looked ready to fight if it wasn't for her brother, Ebizō. She then laughed it off and called it a joke.

After that, Shizune got to work. After getting the information from the medics, she used the Poison Extraction Jutsu to pull out the poison that he was effected with. He was still in danger but Shizune had something to make an antidote. Kakashi summoned his hounds to search for the Akatsuki and Kankuro help by giving him a piece of Sasori's clothes. His hounds got to work and found a trail in hours. By the morning, Shizune was able to create an antidote for the poison. She gave it to Kankuro and two more to Kakashi.

They made their way to the Land of Rivers when Temari decided to join them. Not only did she join them but the old woman did as well. After giving out orders to everyone, they were gone to their destination. One of Kakashi's dogs told him that team Gai was on their way. Kakashi sent Pakkun to lead them to the Land of Rivers. A day had passed and they were making good time. That's when all of them saw someone ahead of them. They all stopped and faced the person who was in their way. Naruto looked particularly worried and Kakashi stood protectively in front of Naruto. The man looked at the group and his eyes laid on Naruto.

"Well now, you have become a special jōnin Naruto. This might be more difficult than I thought." Itachi said. The group prepared to fight the rouge and last Uchiha.

_**XXXXX**_


	4. Chapter 4

Itachi looked at the group and saw that Kakashi was very protective of Naruto. He could also see that Naruto was weary of him. It did not take him long to figure out why.

"Do not worry Naruto; I am not here to kill you. My mission stays the same and I am here to capture you." Itachi said. Naruto relaxed a little but did not drop his guard. Neither did the others.

"That's pretty cold of you. I would think that you would have some type of feelings for the death of your brother. I was the cause since I stopped him from getting to Orochimaru. I would think that you would blame me for making you the last Uchiha?" Naruto asked.

"The truth is Naruto, Sasuke disappointed me. While I might have been the cause of his hate, I believed him to be strong enough to move forward. If he did, he might have gained the power to kill me. Instead, he took the easy way out and betrayed the village. He should have known the penalty for that was death. I do not blame you for his actions." Itachi said, surprising the two Leaf ninja and Sand ninja.

"Okay, I am very confused. I thought Itachi was a cold-blooded killer. Who is this guy?" Temari asked.

"We will deal with that later. Right now, we must prevent Itachi from completing his objective. Naruto, it's time to get ready." Kakashi said. Naruto nodded and dropped his pack. He pulled out two kunai while Temari un-folded her giant fan. Kakashi led the charge against Itachi while the last Uchiha did some hand seals.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Itachi called out. The fireballs attacked and Kakashi dodged as best he could. Naruto moved as well, using his Illusion Dance to move closer. Itachi engaged Kakashi and sent a clone after Naruto. Naruto did some hand seals.

"Earth Style: Great Mud River!" Naruto called out. Itachi's clone was sent back by the river of mud. Caught in the current, he did not see Temari attack him from behind.

"Great Whirlwind Wall!" Temari called out. A tornado caught Itachi and sent him into the forest. The tornado cut him. Naruto watched as his body tore apart and turned into crows. Seeing the crows, worried Naruto. He looked around to see his teammates on the ground. This wasn't right and Naruto quickly gathered some of his chakra. He clapped his hands together and then sent his chakra outward. The blast covered the area and dispelled the genjutsu. Kakashi jumped back and was at Naruto's side. Temari did the same.

"Nice going Naruto but warn me next time. My chakra is kind of tingling a bit." Kakashi said.

"Yeah, sorry about that but all other training rarely worked when it came to me dispelling genjutsu. This way is just better." Naruto told him. _'What happened there fox? You can usually catch those genjutsu.'_

'_**I don't get it either. You did not make eye contact with him or else I would have dispelled it.**__'_ the fox answered. Naruto turned toward Itachi who was standing in the same spot.

"Impressive Naruto. That was a clever trick. You even dispelled the genjutsu I used on your team. I must take you more seriously." Itachi said. The team geared up for another go.

"Okay, we can assume that Itachi has the ability to cast genjutsu without his Sharingan. Do we have any ideas?" Kakashi asked.

"I might have one. Temari, you can make bigger tornados?" Naruto asked. Temari nodded at the question. "Good, this is what you need to do." Naruto whispered into her ear. Temari nodded and jumped back. Naruto did the same with Kakashi who nodded as well. They faced Itachi who looked like he was about to get serious as well. He quickly did hand seals as did Kakashi.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi called out. He spat out a very large fireball at the group.

"Water Style: Water Wall!" Kakashi called out. He spat out a large volume of water that formed a large wall surrounding the group. It stopped and put out the ball of fire. Itachi watched the steam form and wondered what was going to happen.

"Wind Style: Sea Dragon!" Temari called out. A tornado came down from the sky toward him. Itachi moved out of the way just as it hit the ground. That's when lightning came down from the sky and struck all around Itachi. The man kept his cool and dodged the two hands that tried to grab him from below. He also blocked the attack from above. He pulled out a kunai and stabbed the clone of Naruto. He dropped to the ground drove his kunai into the ground, dispelling Naruto's other clone.

Another tornado came down at him. He dodged again and dodged the lightning that followed. That's when he caught the wrist of Kakashi, which was covered in lightning. He grabbed another kunai and tried to stab him but Kakashi caught his wrist. Stuck together, the two tried to gain an advantage. That's when Itachi felt his body lock up. Kakashi broke free of Itachi and jumped away. That's when Naruto and his clone appeared from above with a large version of the Rasengan in their hands.

"Giant Rasengan!" the two roared and connected with their jutsu. The explosion was big, sending stone and dust everywhere. Naruto watched as Itachi's body was drilled into the ground. He suddenly got confused when he saw the smile on Itachi's face. He said a few words to him that made his eyes widen. When the attack ended, Naruto stood over the dead member of the Akatsuki. When the smoke and dust cleared, the three other ninja looked on in shock. The crater that they saw was just immense.

"What in the world was that attack?" Temari asked.

"Hey guys, you need to see this now!" Naruto shouted. The three appeared next to Naruto and they were just as shocked as he was. The person on the ground was not Itachi but someone else.

"That explains so much. I thought that it was weird that I felt something different about Itachi. While those moves and jutsu were exactly like his, it just did not feel like the man I knew. This is one impressive jutsu." He looked toward the women who looked like they recognized the person.

"Do you know this guy?" Kakashi asked.

"It's councilman Yūra. I don't understand it. He was one of the most loyal shinobi we had. He would have never turned traitor." Chiyo said.

"Maybe, maybe we did not know him as well as we thought. He could have been a sleeper agent for all these years. Still, we would have noticed this. How could he have fooled us for so long?" Temari asked.

"Right now, we shouldn't worry about that. We have to get going and right now." Naruto said with urgency.

"Naruto is right. This was just a delay tactic. We were making good time and they needed more. We need to get going." Kakashi said. They nodded and ran to get their things. Kakashi felt that same thing must have happened to Gai's team as well.

_**XXX**_

Itachi and Kisame opened their eyes. They were back in the cave with the rest of the members of the cave. They were nothing more than projections with the exception of Sasori and Deidara. The projection with spiky hair looked at the two projections of Itachi and Kisame.

"You two have returned faster than I predicted." He said.

"That green Beast of Konoha has improved. He's still as stupid as I remembered but he's just as furious as I remember from our first meeting, brief as it was." Kisame said.

"Naruto has gotten much stronger than before. He is now at jōnin level and has grown both physically and mentally. I suggest that after we finish sealing the One-tail, you leave immediately." Itachi said while looking at Sasori and Deidara.

"Has he become that much of a threat?" Sasori asked.

"Hm, that's pretty exciting. Tell us more about the container." Deidara ordered.

"Enough, you have given us the time to finish. Let us focus on the sealing." The leader said. With that said, they went back to sealing the one-tail.

_**XXX**_

Naruto, Kakashi, Temari and Chiyo arrived to the entrance of the hideout. Waiting for them was team Gai.

"Kakashi, you are late!" exclaimed Gai. Kakashi ignored him while Naruto had a quick reunion with team Gai. Kakashi looked at the entrance and narrowed his lone eye.

"We've got a problem." Kakashi said. Everyone turned to him. "This seal, I know what it is."

"What is it?" asked Tenten. Kakashi was about to answer but Naruto spoke up.

"It's called the Five-Seal Barrier. There are four other tags around here that needs to be deactivated in order for the barrier to be down. However, that poses a great threat to anyone who pulls the tag. It's pretty easy to lay a trap at the position to delay the person from help their comrades." Naruto explained.

"It is a risk that we're going to have to take!" Rock Lee exclaimed.

"I don't think it would be necessary Lee. Am I right Naruto?" Neji said. Naruto didn't say anything and jumped up to the rock. He stood over the seal and began to do hand seals. He then placed his hands on the seal.

"Seal Destruction!" Naruto shouted. A seal appeared on the seal with four lines of characters attached to the seal Naruto created. Neji activated his Byakugan to see where those lines were going. Each line reached one of the seals that Naruto was talking about. When they touched the seal, they were burnt as well as the clone that appeared from out of the environment. Everyone watched as the seal on the rock was gone as well, blown away with the wind. This alerted the group inside as the leader of the Akatsuki was surprised.

"They have destroyed the barrier." He said.

"That was fast. However, they are too late." Deidara said with a smile. The entrance was blown open. The two teams entered the cave just in time to see Gaara fall from the air. He hit the ground with a thud. Everyone looked at the unmoving Kage.

"Gaara? Gaara!" Temari shouted at her brother.

"It's not use girly." Deidara said. He and Sasori landed on the ground. Deidara decided to use Gaara as a seat. He then smacked his face. "Your Kazekage is dead. Too bad, hm?" Temari was shaking with rage at the death of her brother. Deidara just smirked and turned his attention to Naruto. He could see that Naruto was just as upset. "What's the matter Nine-tails? Are you angry with me, hm? Were you two friends or something? I thought that you containers were loners, hated by your villagers. Why would you care," Deidara was cut off when he got smacked in the mouth. The fist that did it belonged to Naruto.

Everyone was shocked at what just happened. When did Naruto move? Sasori was stunned as were the projections that watched it. Naruto picked up Gaara's body and quickly moved back to his position to the group. He checked Gaara's vitals and he could find no signs of life. He did some hand seals and placed his hand on the ground. Gaara was turned into a scroll. He handed the scroll to Temari before turning his attention to the Akatsuki members. Deidara just got to his feet and held his nose. It was leaking blood and he was not happy about it. Kakashi looked at Naruto and could see that his eyes had changed. He now had a reason to Naruto's speed.

"You son of a bitch!" Deidara exclaimed. "I'm going to show you my art, hm!"

"You're not going to show me anything. You think you can talk about my friend like that and get away with it? Also, my name isn't Nine-tails." Naruto said gravely. He placed his hands together and his restrictive cuffs were revealed. With a single seal, the cuffs were gone and Naruto could feel all of his chakra. Putting his hands in the channeling seal, he began to show the Akatsuki just who they were dealing with. Naruto's chakra was visible to everyone to see. It was like a mini hurricane that shook the cave.

"_**MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI AND I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!**_" he roared.

_**XXXXX**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chakra whipped around the cave. It caused the cave to rumble, making everyone worry that it would collapse. Naruto kept pouring out chakra as he glared at the members of the Akatsuki. They had just killed his friend and made a joke of it. They had spit on all the work that Gaara did to be acknowledged in the Hidden Sand Village. They were going to pay for that. He quickly did hand seals and gathered wind in between his hands. It swirled and compressed into a dark purple ball. Seeing the statue, he took aim at it.

"**Wind Style: Demon Wind Bomb!**" Naruto roared and fired the ball at the statue. Seeing the speed of the attack and feeling the amount of chakra that was gathered, one of the images quickly sent the statue away before the jutsu hit. The jutsu did hit the wall and the cave was covered in a white light. A massive explosion blew the cave apart. A huge cloud of dust surrounded the area. The Sand and Leaf shinobi landed on the water and looked at the destruction that Naruto's jutsu caused.

"A little bit of warning would have been nice Naruto!" Tenten exclaimed. Naruto flinched and had the decency to look ashamed of his actions. Still, the two Sand kunoichi looked at the destruction of the wind jutsu. If they were honest with themselves, that jutsu was equal to the power of the Wind Style: Pressure Damage, maybe even greater. Their attention turned to the dust cloud as something flew out. They saw Deidara and Sasori on a large clay bird. Kakashi looked closely and saw that Deidara was glaring hard at Naruto.

"It looks like you pissed him off Naruto. He must really want to kill you." Kakashi said.

"Well, he deserved it. Son of a bitch was making jokes about Gaara." Naruto stated.

"We can use that. Temari, Tenten and Lee, you will help me in dealing with Deidara. He is a long range specialist, using clay as explosives. Tenten and Temari will give me and Lee cover as we attack. I will leave Sasori to the rest of you." Kakashi explained. Everyone nodded and readied themselves for battle. As they were planning, Deidara was snarling at Naruto. That boy had some nerve and he was going to pay when he captured him. Sasori looked at him and sighed.

"We have to get out of here Deidara. We have no reason to fight them. We have captured our objective and must regroup. The leader will not be happy if you don't and are killed just because you're angry that you got punched in the face." Sasori said.

"No way, yeah. That brat needs to learn respect. I am going to show him the greatness of my art and then I'm going to enjoy watching as we take the Nine-tails out of his body, hm." Deidara said.

"Enough Deidara, we must retreat and regroup. The Nine-tails is stronger than we thought." Sasori tried to explain but Deidara did not listen. Deidara charged at them, targeting Naruto. Sasori had jumped off the large bird and quickly made his escape into the forest. Kakashi appeared and quickly did some hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" The water dragon charged at Deidara. The blond saw this and cursed. He created another clay bird and used it. As the dragon connected, Deidara detonated the bird, destroying the dragon. As he got his bearings, he watched as Naruto was leaving with three others to chase Sasori. This angered him more.

"Get back here brat!" he roared. He moved to intercept him but he was cut off by shuriken and kunai. His robe got shredded and he received two cuts. He got higher to avoid the assault.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee shouted, surprising Deidara. He was blasted in the chest several times and sent flying off his bird. He didn't have time to react as Temari attacked, swinging her fan.

"Ninja Art: Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari shouted. The attack sent Deidara flying into the destroyed cave. He screamed as he was sliced up. That's when he changed into a log. Deidara was right back on his bird and on one knee. He was breathing hard and glared at the four in front of him.

"Fine! I'll show you the beauty of my art, yeah! Then, after I deal with you, I'll capture the Nine-tails!" Deidara spat. Everyone got ready to fight the mad bomber.

_**XXX**_

Sasori was surrounded on all sides. Naruto created several clones to keep him contained. He faced his grandmother who had undone her topknot. He tore up his Akatsuki robes and prepared for battle. Chiyo noticed something and narrowed her eyes.

"Be careful everyone, Sasori had made some new additions to Hiruko." She said.

"Hiruko? I thought that this was Sasori?" Naruto asked. Neji activated his Byakugan and looked at the puppet. He was very surprised by what he saw.

"Sasori is inside of that thing. Also, I can't explain this but this puppet has chakra flowing through it. I don't understand how this is possible." Neji said.

"Hiruko is a human puppet." Chiyo said, shocking the Konoha ninja. "Sasori is the only one who can do this. By removing the organs and preserving the body, he can create a puppet that can still use chakra." Chiyo explained.

"That… that's sick!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Focus Naruto, do not allow your thoughts to become clouded. We must deal with our foe." Gai said. He gave Chiyo a look. "You said that he made addition Lady Chiyo?"

"Yes, he has. That left arm is new. Plus, he had reinforced the shell. We must destroy this puppet to force Sasori out. I will leave that to you boy." Chiyo said, facing Naruto. Naruto nodded and everyone readied themselves for battle.

"Finally, you know that I hate being kept waiting." Sasori said. He opened the mouth of Hiruko and a wave of senbon shot forward at an incredible speed. Naruto used his Illusion Dance to avoid several senbon while Neji used the Rotation to protect himself. Gai and Chiyo easily dodged the senbon. Naruto and Gai moved in to attack when Sasori fired his left arm. The torpedo like arm shot like a rocket and got in between the two. The cylinders that were attached to the arm popped off. They then opened and fired several senbon at the two from all angles.

Neji moved quickly and appeared in front of Gai. He spun, encasing him and Gai in the Rotation. Naruto was very surprised when he was able to dodge every senbon needle. When it was over, Naruto continue his attack to crush Sasori. Chiyo threw several kunai at Sasori as a distraction. Naruto summoned a clone and the two created the Giant Rasengan on the move. Sasori was not some easily fooled and deflected the kunai with his tail. He then launched the tail at Naruto. That's when the tail was frozen in place. Sasori was shocked but that's when he saw it. It would be too late for Sasori as the jutsu connected.

The attack grinned into the puppet. Encased in chakra, Sasori was sent flying through several trees. He would be sent flying through the forest for about a thousand yards. Hiruko was ripped apart, pieces of it sent everywhere. When he stopped, there was a large boom and a cloud of dust. Everyone waited and watched out for Sasori. They all knew that he would not be within the wreck that was now his puppet.

"Very impressive," A voice said. They turned to see a robed figure standing on a branch. He jumped down and stood across the group of four. "I underestimated you all, especially you grandmother. Those kunai you threw, you attached a very thin chakra string to one of them. I should also assume that it was because of you that the blond avoid my last two attacks. It seems that I must get serious." He removed the robe to reveal himself. Chiyo gasped in shock at what she saw. Gai narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sasori.

"Correct me Lady Chiyo but how old is your grandson?" Gai asked.

"He… should be… thirty-five years of age. However… he looks the same as the day he left the village. That was twenty years ago." Chiyo explained with worry.

"Is he using a similar jutsu like granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked. Neji narrowed his eyes as his Byakugan was activated.

"No, this isn't genjutsu. This is who he truly is." Neji said.

'_Could he have… he wouldn't, would he?'_ Chiyo thought sadly. Sasori pulled out a scroll with the symbol 'three' on it.

"Since you destroyed one of my favorite puppets, I will use another favorite to finish you off. You should know him very well grandmother." Sasori said and unsealed it. When the smoke cleared, Chiyo was very pale.

"T-That's not possible!" she exclaimed. Everyone was tense.

"What is it granny? What or who is that puppet?" Naruto asked.

"I-It's the Third Kazekage. He disappeared twenty years ago." Chiyo said. She glared at her grandson. "So, it was you who kidnapped the Third and then turned him into a human puppet." Sasori just smirked and launched his puppet to attack.

_**XXX**_

Deidara cursed as he was overwhelmed by the four opponents in front of him. They worked well to keep him contained. Temari and Tenten would attack from a distance while Lee would use his speed to attack. Kakashi would use ninjutsu and taijutsu to hurt him as well. Even his clay was useless as Kakashi figured out that his lightning could cancel it out. He was now out of clay and he was pretty banged up. He could no longer fight and he needed to escape. Granted, he would probably be punished for disobeying orders but he would accept the punishment just to get out of here.

Deidara landed on the ground and jumped off his bird. The others watched as the blond suddenly took bites out of his clay bird. It was very surprising to them. He ate the whole bird and he began to expand. Kakashi saw the chakra with the Sharingan and quickly did a seal. As the man grew, the others began to realize what he was going to do. His smirk confirmed his plans.

"I hope you all enjoyed your close victory, yeah. Now say good-bye!" Deidara roared. They attempted to run but they were too late as Deidara exploded.

_**XXX**_

Naruto, Neji, Gai and Chiyo were doing okay for the moment. When Sasori attacked, Chiyo quickly used chakra strings to pull Naruto back to them. Sasori would not allow that and used the Thousand Arms Manipulation to grab him. Chiyo used her skills to help Naruto avoid the jutsu. Neji and Gai charged, one heading for Naruto, the other heading for Sasori. Sasori released a poisonous gas toward Neji. Neji stopped and held his breath. Seeing this, Naruto quickly acted.

Using his Air Blade Twister, Naruto destroyed all of the arms. Sasori disconnected the arm and charged at Gai with a clawed right hand. Chiyo used the tail to defend but it was easily destroyed. However, it gave Gai time to move and get behind the puppet. He connected with Severe Leaf Hurricane. Sasori quickly pulled the puppet away as he heard something crack. Neji managed to escape, using the Rotation to blow away the poisonous gas. Naruto checked on him as Gai fought the puppet of the Third Kazekage. He even pulled out his nunchaku but that was quickly destroyed.

Chiyo ordered him to retreat while; she pulled out two scrolls of her own. Unsealing them, two puppets appeared before them. Sasori remembered those puppets as they were the first puppets that he created. They were called Mother and Father. Sasori scoffed at the two puppets before changing the left arm into a buzz saw. The two puppets also pull out weapons and attacked. It was an incredible battle as the puppets moved like lightning. You couldn't tell who was winning because of how fast they were moving. After a few moments, the two backed off. Each of their weapons was destroyed and they were at a stalemate.

"It seems that must try harder. Very well, witness the ability that made the Third Kazekage the strongest of them all." He said. Chiyo began to sweat as the puppet opened its mouth. Out of it, black sand flowed out and hovered around the Kazekage. Gai even looked worried about this. Chiyo nervously looked at her grandson and her worry increased. Sasori now had the greatest weapon at his disposal. The greatest weapon of the Hidden Sand named the Iron Sand. This battle had just gotten serious.

_**XXXXX**_


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto, Neji, Gai and Chiyo were all breathing hard. The Iron Sand was a dangerous weapon. Sasori used the Iron Sand both offensively and defensively. Their attacks were not penetrating and they were barely able to avoid the attacks. Chiyo had warned them that Sasori must have mixed his poison with the sand. They were getting nowhere and they were going to lose if they did not do something quickly. Naruto growled at the puppeteer and knew what he had to do.

'_Hey fox, get ready. It's time we get serious and waste this guy.'_ Naruto said mentally.

'_**It's about time. I was starting to get bored. Shall we used the second form and wipe this man off the face of the world?**__'_

'_That's bit overkill. Let's just go three tails and wreck this guy.'_

'_**Killjoy.**__'_ The fox said. Naruto stepped forward and faced Sasori.

"You guys should take a step back. I'm about to go all-out." Everyone was confused until Naruto got on all-fours and began to unleash a red chakra. Gai recognized the chakra and told the two others to get back. Naruto kept on pouring out the chakra until it took the form of a shroud. Three tails appeared behind him and Naruto's features took a more feral appearance. Everyone was watching him with awe.

"So this is the chakra of the Nine-tails?" Neji whispered. With a push, Naruto rocketed toward Sasori. Sasori moved the Kazekage puppet in his path and launched sever Iron Sand bullets. Naruto easily dodged the bullets and was already on top of the puppet. Sasori pulled him back just as Naruto brought his hand down. It released a shockwave that sent debris everywhere. From out of the dust, a chakra claw came at the puppet. Sasori maneuvered a large shape of Iron Sand to protect it. Naruto pulled himself forward and punched the large shape. It sent it flying right at Sasori and the Kazekage puppet. He had to dodge as the large shape was sent several yards away.

Sasori landed with the puppet next to him. He looked to his right to see Naruto, his fist reared back. He moved the puppet to defend. It attacked with his clawed arm. The two attacks met and Naruto shattered the arm with ease. He then unleashed a loud roar that sent the puppet and Sasori flying. The earth in front of Naruto was uprooted by the blast of chakra. Sasori was able to use the Substitution Jutsu to escape. The others looked at the destruction and were shocked.

"What destructive power! How is Naruto still in control!?" Neji said.

"His training must have been intense! Such youthful inspiration! I must increase my training as well!" Gai bellowed. Sasori looked at his damaged puppet before facing Naruto. He saw that the boy narrowed his eyes at him.

'_Itachi was not kidding. He has truly improved within two and a half years.'_ Sasori thought as he watched the boy prepare to attack. _'If this continues, I will lose my most prized weapon. I have wasted enough time on these fools.'_ Sasori did some seals. Everyone watched as the Iron Sand gathered and formed an orb. Chiyo saw this and shouted a warning to everyone. However, it was too late. "Iron Sand: World Order!" Sasori shouted. Spikes began to branch off. It moved irregularly, not giving any one direction. They came fast and the spikes hit ground, covering the area in iron.

_**XXX**_

Temari opened her eyes and realized that she was not dead. She looked around and saw that everyone was okay. Well, almost everyone as Kakashi was on his knees, breathing heavily. She watched as Kakashi put his forehead protector over his Sharingan eye. She then franticly searched for that bomber. She could find no sign of him.

"Where is he?" Temari asked.

"Probably in the dimension I sent him to." Kakashi said as he struggled to stand. Lee helped him to his feet and had him lean on him.

"Another dimension? You can do that!?" Temari asked in shock.

"It's a new jutsu that I learned with my Sharingan. It's called Kamui. I can create a space-time barrier. I can send things to other dimensions." Kakashi briefly explained. The young adults could only watch him awe and seriously considered if he wasn't the strongest jōnin of Konoha. That's when the saw a sphere with branches and felt the ground shake. They quickly regained their bearings and rushed over to the area.

_**XXX**_

Neji, Gai, Naruto and Chiyo were all on the ground. They were injured and cut up pretty bad. They could feel the poison coursing through their veins and were starting to feel weak. Sasori looked at them with a smug grin. He saw that Naruto was out cold among the branches. He would need to grab him and administer the antidote before he died. He moved the Kazekage puppet to capture him. As he closed in, the puppet was stalled. Not even Sasori could move it.

"Naruto!" Gai shouted. Naruto popped up and was in the face of the puppet.

"**Now you're mine! Ninja Art: Great Lion's Roar!**" Naruto roared. The Kazekage was hit by a very powerful sound wave. It tore the puppet to pieces and even destroyed several branches. Sasori could only watch in shock as his puppet was destroyed. With its destruction, the Iron Sand lost its shape and fell to the ground into sand, covering the area and people. Naruto popped out of the sand like the others. He shook some of the sand off him and disengaged the shroud around him. He stood up and turned toward his comrades.

"You guys alright?" Naruto asked.

"We're fine Naruto. It also seems that lady Chiyo's plan worked." Gai answered.

"It was only due to the Slug woman apprentice's cure. To think, that another Suna poison was so easily defeated by her skills." Chiyo said a little begrudgingly.

"Well, we have to give Shizune our thanks once this is all over." Naruto said with a grin. Sasori took it all in and couldn't really believe what he was hearing. If it was Tsunade who figured out his poison, it would have been understandable but her apprentice defeated him? It was time to end this. He removed his cloak and threw it aside. When everyone saw him, the males were shocked while Chiyo looked at him with sadness.

"So, it is as I feared. You have turned yourself into a human puppet. When I saw the third and your appearance, I knew that you had done this. Only you could do so." She said sadly.

"It was necessary. My gift, my art, I could not let it go to waste. Do not worry; you and your comrades will soon know what it is like." That's when Sasori pulled a scroll from his back. He threw it into the air and opened his right chest compartment.

"Secret Red Move: Performance of a Hundred Puppets." Sasori said. From out of the scroll, hundreds of puppets appeared. Chakra strings shot out of his chest and attached to every puppet. "I destroyed a country with this jutsu. Unlike you Secret White Move: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets, I am not limited to ten fingers." Chiyo unrolled the scroll and summoned her ten puppets.

"Prepare for a fight gentlemen." Chiyo said. Everyone geared up for a battle. As Sasori prepared to attack, he was ambushed by several voices.

"Weapon Control: Tensasai!" White streaks rained down on the area, taking out a few puppets.

"Summoning: Blade Dance!" A one-eyed, sickle-wielding weasel rode the wind and turned several more puppets into kindling. Lee arrived with Kakashi and placed him down next to Naruto. He then rushed in and attacked every puppet in his way as he opened the first five gates. Gai joined him and the two green beasts went on a rampage. Neji joined in as well while Naruto checked on Kakashi.

"You alright sensei, you look wiped." Naruto said.

"I'm fine but my new jutsu took a lot out of me." He then faced Chiyo. "Is there a weakness?"

"That cylinder on his chest. It holds the heart. It is the only way that he could still use chakra. Destroy it and it is all over." Chiyo said.

"Okay then, Naruto that's your target. I give you cover." Kakashi said and got to a knee. Naruto nodded and called on the Nine-tails' chakra. He only used a little and took off. Naruto unleashed a taijutsu where he was launching Air Blades at those that attacked him. He moved quickly and directly at Sasori. While Neji, Gai and Lee were battling the puppet army, Chiyo, Temari and Tenten gave Naruto cover. Kakashi was preparing his jutsu. Sasori would send a group to stop the blond but they were either destroyed by the females. That's when Kakashi was ready with his jutsu.

He looked at Sasori and used the Kamui. Sasori noticed that everything was getting distort and distracted him. Naruto was right there; ready to blow his heart apart. Sasori popped the cylinder free just as half his body was sucked into the distortion. Naruto saw this and watched as the cylinder landed into another puppet. The puppet stood and charged at Naruto, stabbing him in the back. Sasori was claiming victory until a shadow appeared over him.

"Giant Rasengan!" Naruto roared. He jutsu slammed down on Sasori. A large crater began to form and the attack grinded into Sasori. The puppeteer could only widen his eyes as the body was destroyed by the powerful jutsu. This included his heart which was torn to pieces. With it dead, the other puppet fell just like all do when their strings are cut. Naruto jumped out of the crater and landed on his feet. He stood up and looked into the crater at the broken puppet that was Sasori.

Chiyo made her way to the crater and looked down at the broken pieces of her grandson. Naruto bowed his head and made his way over to the other. Chiyo jumped down into the crater and looked at the pieces. She saw that the head was still intact. He picked it up and cradled it to her chest. She openly wept for her grandson.

_**XXX**_

The group of eight watched over Gaara's dead body. Temari was weeping while Naruto clenched his fists in anger.

"Damn it. Damn those guys. I'm going to rip them apart for this." Naruto snarled. Chiyo looked at the blood to see pure sadness and rage. While sad herself, she admired the blond Konoha ninja. He did everything in his power to save Gaara. It was something she would have never done in her days. She liked this generation of shinobi and could see it flourishing. She decided to help it out.

"Come her boy, I need your help." Chiyo ordered Naruto. Naruto looked at her with confusion but he did as he was told. He knelt down across from her and watched her place her hands on Gaara's chest. "Put your hands over mines. When I start channeling, you begin to channel your chakra. It will supply me with my jutsu."

"Your jutsu? What jutsu are you going to use on Gaara?" Temari asked.

"Before Sasori left, I created a jutsu so that I could bring to life those two puppets that got destroyed earlier. They were modeled after my son and my daughter-in-law. I was attempting to give my grandson some sort of happiness but I will use it to bring back our Kazekage. It is a shame that I will not be alive to see the Sand Village flourish." Everyone gasped in shock at that statement. Chiyo just smiled at them. "Do not mourn me. I have lived a life full of ups and downs. My time has come to an end. It is your turn to lead the Sand Village." Chiyo said. She then looked at Naruto.

"In the beginning, I thought that you a naïve little boy. You did not fit the mold of a shinobi. However, we are from two different generations. By watching you, I see a great future for the elemental nations. I believed that alliances and friendships were a weakness. I thought that you could only be strong if you relied on yourself. Then I watched a young man fight tooth and nail to save someone that he considered his friend. He showed power that I didn't think it was possible. I know that I leave things in very good hands with you and Gaara around." she said with a smile.

Naruto looked down with a heavy heart. With a sigh, Naruto helped her with her jutsu. Chiyo thanked him as she began the jutsu. Everyone watched as the chakra covered Gaara. After a few moments, the light died down. Chiyo eyes were closed and she began to fall over. Temari was there to catch her. A groan was heard and everyone looked on as Gaara's eyes opened. Gaara was dazed and confused. He looked around to see that he was not alone.

"Naruto? Temari?" Gaara asked. Temari smiled at him with tears in her eyes.

"Welcome back baby brother." Temari cried happily. Naruto was smiling brightly as Gaara was still confused. That's when everyone felt something approaching. They looked up and saw Kankuro with an army of Suna shinobi.

_**XXX**_

Deidara popped out of the ground and pulled himself out with his good arm. He was hurt and angry. He couldn't believe how badly he just lost. He blamed it on Naruto, who broke his nose and ignored him. When he got healed up, he was going to make Naruto pay dearly. He was going to show him the beauty of his art.

_**XXXXX**_


	7. Chapter 7

Kakashi, Naruto, Shizune and team Gai stood in front of Tsunade. She had just finished listening to their report on the mission. She was glad that she made the right choice in sending an extra team. She was saddened to hear that Chiyo was dead. While they might have been enemies, she respected the old bird. She turned her attention to the teams.

"Well, you guys deserve a very long rest. You have done well and we are down to eight members of the Akatsuki. You are all dismissed with the exception of Naruto. We need to talk about this book that you created." Tsunade said. Everyone left the two blondes alone.

"What's up granny?" Naruto asked.

"I'm really impressed with this book. While I'm disgusted with the method or how many perverts there are in the world, you did well. However, I'm curious about this section of your book." Tsunade said, pointing to a section titled 'unknown'.

"Oh that. That's a group of S-rank criminals that I could not really get any information on. It was either that they would not tell us or there was no information on them." Naruto explained. Tsunade nodded as she looked at the book. One picture got her attention. She turned her attention back to Naruto.

"Okay brat, you're dismissed. I'll call for you when it's time." Tsunade said.

"Alright, later." Naruto said and vanished with a burst of wind. Tsunade just looked at the picture and couldn't help but be worried.

_**XXX**_

Naruto entered his apartment and let out a sigh of relief. He just wanted to get to his room and lay down. She caught the sight of someone on the couch but did not turn to face them.

"Hey Ino," Naruto greeted.

"Hello." Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned to face the voice that he did not recognize. He saw a young woman who looked to be sixteen or seventeen. Her wild, untamed pink hair was covered by a ball cap. She was black slacks and a white button up shirt that had the sleeves rolled-up. Her feet were up on the coffee table and her light brown eyes looked at him with disinterest.

"Uh, who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I could ask you the same question." She said.

"I live here. Please tell me that Ino didn't rent out my room?" he asked.

"I wouldn't put it pass the bitch to do so but it wasn't with me." She answered.

"Who are you calling a bitch and who are you talking to?" Ino's voice shouted. She entered the room to see Naruto. "Oh hey, when did you get back?"

"Just now, mind introducing us?" Naruto asked.

"Tayuya, this is Naruto, original owner of this place. Naruto, this is my project, Tayuya." Ino said.

"I've told you to stop calling me that. I'm not you damn project and if you call me it again, I'm going to dunk your head in the toilet." Tayuya spat.

"Please do that Ino. For me, do it for me." Naruto said.

"Funny," Ino mocked. "Anyway, I'm on my way out. You better not mess up the place or there will be consequences. And, don't forget that you still owe me a dress." Ino ordered.

"Why yes master Ino. Do you want me to shine your shoes for you?" Naruto said in a mocking tone. Before she could counter, Naruto sped away and made his way into his room. Ino puffed her cheeks out at being ignored. Tayuya chuckled and was impressed with Naruto.

"Heh, I like him. He got you to shut up." Tayuya said. Ino glared at her before turning her nose at her. They made their way out of the apartment.

_**XXX**_

Tsunade was sitting in the common room, looking over the reports. She had sent word out to those villages that Naruto could not get information about. She used her wit and charm to get what she wanted. She already received a few replies and Jiraiya was out getting some more. As she continued to read, the door was opened. She knew that she gave instruction to not be disturbed but she saw the elders and knew that this was going to be another headache.

"I'm assuming that you are not here to join me for tea." Tsunade said.

"We are here to speak about Naruto." Koharu said. Tsunade gave a brief look to Shizune who refused to look at her. She sighed and put down the report she was reading.

"Okay, let me tell you something. I know what you are going to say and I disagree with it. Keeping Naruto locked up in the village, does not help him. Not only would it make him a bigger target, he will become a pain in the ass. His skills would be wasted." Tsunade said.

"We agree with you." Homura said. Tsunade and Shizune looked surprised by what was said. "That's what you get for assuming the worst Tsunade. We did not come here to ask you to limit his activities. We do, however, would like you to place him on a team."

"A team? Is this for his protection?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes. We do not doubt the boy's skill. He is deserving of his rank. However, there is still the threat of the Akatsuki that we must be aware of. A team with some strong shinobi would put us more at ease when he is out in the field." Koharu explained.

"Well, I don't see a problem with that. It can be done, even with Kakashi on the shelve for a while. I do have someone in mind as a jonin leader. I also have someone else in mind who would be able to keep up with the two." Tsunade said.

"That's good. All we ask is that we assign the third member of the team that you are building." Koharu said.

"Who did you have in mind?" Tsunade asked. The two looked at the door and Tsunade followed suit. She did not look happy to see the two who just entered the room.

_**XXX**_

Naruto stood in front of Shikamaru who looked very annoyed. Naruto had a frown on her face. Shikamaru could not blame him but he really did not wish to deal with this.

"What do you want me to do Naruto? You know how Ino is. You trained with her for god's sake. What makes you think that me, Chōji or Asuma can do anything?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well what about her dad or her clan?" Naruto asked.

"That's a bad idea Naruto. Things between Ino and her clan are not all that great." Shikamaru said. Naruto narrowed his eyes at that.

"Is that why she living with me?" Naruto asked seriously. Shikamaru cursed and tried to come up with a way to explain things. That's when Chōji entered the area.

"Hey Shikamaru, I brought you lunch." The teenager said. That's when he saw Naruto. "Oh hey Naruto, I heard that you were back. Did you meet any of the others?"

"I was on a mission with team Gai about five days ago. I met team Kurenai earlier as I was looking for either one of you. How are things with you man? You've bulked up some." Naruto said. Chōji just rubbed his head. That's when all three felt something coming toward them. Naruto and Shikamaru jumped out of the way while Chōji enlarged his fist. He punched a white and black lion with some strength. This lion suddenly turned into ink. Naruto and Shikamaru turned to see someone on the roof. He was a pale skinned teenager with black hair and dark eyes. They saw the symbol of his forehead protector was from here.

"You know that guy?" Naruto asked.

"No, I've never seen him before." Shikamaru said. They heard the sound of something getting squashed. Chōji walked up to them, his hand stained with ink.

"Why is he attacking us?" Chōji asked.

"Why don't we find out?" Naruto said and took off. The teen watched and drew several more lion on a scroll. He did a single seal and poured his chakra into the scroll.

"Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll." He said. The lions jumped off the scroll and launched themselves at Naruto.

"Ignore them Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted as his hands were already in a seal. "Ninja Art: Shadow Stitching Jutsu!" Shikamaru's shadow split into several tendrils. They stabbed and destroyed the lions, dispelling them. Naruto launched himself at the teenager who removed his tantō. Naruto pulled out a kunai and channeled his chakra. When the two blades clashed, the tantō was snapped in two. He was surprised by the move and jumped away to gain some distance. Naruto tossed the kunai, disabling the chakra. The teen countered with a kunai of his own but it left him open for a knee. The boy was stunned due to the distance that Naruto covered.

The teenager slammed into a chimney and exploded into ink. Naruto looked around for the guy but he was gone. He turned back to the ink and narrowed his eyes. Just who was that guy?

_**XXX**_

"So you had to retreat?" Danzō asked him. The teen was kneeling on one knee and had his head down.

"Yes, it seems that he was stronger than we thought. He was able to use something similar yours and Asuma Sarutobi's when it comes to weapons. He also covered the distance between us and landed a knee. I am sorry sir." He reported.

"Do not worry about it. While I am surprised that fool Jiraiya trained him so well, I am not surprised by it. Do you remember your mission?" Danzō asked.

"Yes sir."

"Good, your name for this mission will be Sai." He said. The teen looked up and gave a creepy smile.

"Sai, I like that name."

_**XXX**_

Tsunade looked at the two inside her office. She gave them both a serious look.

"As of right now, you two will be a part of team seven. You'll be a team until I deem it necessary." Tsunade said.

"So I am teamed up with an ANBU. Shows how much I'm trusted." Tayuya spat.

"He isn't here for you Tayuya. I trust greatly. You have done great as a Konoha kunoichi. He's mostly on the team for your third teammate. He is a part of 'Ne'." Tsunade explained. The two gave her a serious look when they heard that. Tayuya nodded in understanding as did the ANBU member. Tsunade gave him her attention.

"As of now, you are no longer part of the ANBU. You will turn in your mask and your codename for this is Yamato." Tsunade said. The man pulled off his mask and faced his kage.

"Understood lady Hokage." He said.

_**XXX**_

Naruto arrived to meet the Hokage after he was summoned. He arrived with his pack and in his uniform. He stood in front of her and waited. Tsunade faced him and handed him the picture.

"I'm sending you to the Hot Water Country. From the symbol on the forehead protector, he was a part of the Hidden Hot Water Village. It is not a debunked village since they focused more on being a resort area." Tsunade explained.

"You think that the village still exists?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I got word from the daimyo that the area of the village is still there. It's just in ruins and many are not willing to go there. We have permission to go in and search for any information about this man." She said.

"Okay. Am I going alone?" he asked.

"No, your team is waiting for you at the gates. Now, don't keep them waiting." Naruto gave a mock salute before vanishing. He reappeared close to the gate to see three people. He recognized Tayuya who was wearing yellow capris, a black and grey collar shirt with zippers on the sleeves. She wore fingerless black gloves with steel plates and had something strapped to her back. Her pink hair was tied into a ponytail. The man he did not recognize.

He wore a standard attire of a Konoha-nin, with a flak jacket that seemed to be modified. He wore a happuri-style forehead protector that framed his face. Then there was the third guy. Seeing him pissed him off.

"You!" The teenager, who was wearing a short black-and-grey jacket with red straps, smiled at him. He also wore a high-collared midriff shirt, black pants, shinobi sandals and gloves with his index and thumb fingers exposed.

"Hello again, my name is Sai. Let's be friends." He said to Naruto. He got his answer with a swift punch to the jaw.

_**XXX**_

"So, where are we going now leader?" asked a female. She had on a marron top that expose her chest, which was tied with a purple sash, tied like a bow in the back, and some biker shorts. She had on leg and arm warmers. She had light blonde hair and brown eyes. She was swinging the weight end of her kurisagama lazily.

"What does it matter? I just want to kill something." Asked a very tall male. He was wearing a forest green ninja outfit. It was a little loose on him. His wrists and ankles were wrapped in yellow tape. To his side, a large double-bladed weapon laid. His skin was tanned and his was bald. His grey eyes had not pupils.

"Why are you two so eager to kill someone? Can't you just enjoy the down time?" asked another male. He had a head of short green hair, black, heavy-lidded eyes and no eyebrows. He wore a sleeveless black shirt, an obi around his waist, a pair of pants, sandals and a sleeveless, high-collared, blue and orange jacket. He also wore bandages around his wrists and ankles.

"Che, what wrong with you? Don't tell me that you're scared?" the taller male asked.

"Of course I'm concerned. We are messing with three powers that could kill us. If we had more men, then I wouldn't be so concerned." He argued.

"Pussy." The female spat mockingly.

"Enough. We are going to the Hot Water Country. Someone contacted me about something." The shortest of them said. She was female and had short pink hair. She wore a short black dress with red trim and small, light grey jacket, with samurai leg armor on each side. She stood up and made her way toward the country. The others just followed her lead.

_**XXXXX**_


	8. Chapter 8

Yamato looked at the team with a sigh. To his left was an angry Naruto, glaring at Sai. In the middle was Tayuya who was busy with her nails. To his right, a smiling Sai with a black eye. He wondered how Kakashi did it. Either way, he needed to deal with this before they continued on.

"Okay, how about we get to know each other?" Yamato asked. He was met with silence. "Okay, I'll go first. My name is Yamato. I have been a Konoha ninja since I was six. I like walnuts and my hobbies are reading books about architecture. I dislike oily things and being over-worked. My goal in life is to fulfill my duties as a ninja. Okay then, let's start with lady of the group." Tayuya scoffed but decided to go along with it.

"The name is Tayuya. I've been a ninja all my life but a Konoha ninja for a year and half. I like music. I dislike a lot of things but at the top of my list is a nosy blond, a loud bowl-cut moron and being told that I need to be more womanly. My goals in life are to pay back a debt and live free." Tayuya said.

"Okay, a nice introduction. Now, how about you Naruto?" Yamato asked.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I've been a ninja since I was twelve, all Konoha. I like ramen and the people that I consider precious. I dislike how long it takes to make ramen, pricks and vegetables but that's kind of changing. My hobbies include pranks, training and I like taking care of plants. My goal in life is to become Hokage." Naruto stated.

"Very good. Now, onto the last one." Yamato said.

"My name is Sai. I've been a shinobi since I was six. I like tofu and I dislike sweets. My hobbies include reading and drawing, mostly calligraphy. I don't have a goal in mind. I will try to think of one." Sai said. Yamato nodded at the teen. That's when Sai turned toward Tayuya. "I am surprised that you did not speak on how you became a Konoha shinobi Tayuya."

"That's because it's none of anyone's business." She spat.

"Is that so? I would think that it would be something you would tell Naruto here. It is because of it, Ino Yamanaka is now living inside his apartment." Sai explained. Naruto looked at the two with shock while Tayuya growled at him.

"Why don't you shut up before I make you?" Tayuya roared. Sai just smiled at her and Tayuya was about to deck him until Naruto stopped her. Naruto turned to glare at Sai, which confused him.

"I don't know who you are or why you were put on this team but you are making a bunch of mistakes. I might not know who Tayuya is but I know that I can trust her more than I can trust you. So how about to keep your mouth shut and do your job until this is over because once we get back, I'm talking to granny about getting someone trustworthy." Naruto sneered at him. Sai just smiled at him and Naruto was ready to hit him as well until the ground shook. The trio turned to see a cage made of wood in the middle of the road.

"Okay, I know that we got off on the wrong foot but we have a mission to accomplish. So, we can end this here right now and continue to the Hot Water Country or you all can spend some time inside the cage until you work everything out. What is it going to be?" Yamato asked. The three looked at each other before getting back in attention. They faced Yamato and waited. Yamato nodded and made the cage disappear. He started walking and the group followed him.

_**XXX**_

The team of four arrived at their destination. The pink haired teenager led the group to a bathhouse. It was not like the other bathhouse in the Hot Water Country. It was built very far away from the populace because of who owed it and what went on in his bathhouse. Despite the fact that many wanted him out of the country, he had so much dirt on several high-ranking officials that they could not do anything to him.

The team entered the place after being recognized by the bouncer. As they made their way to the back, they saw the debauchery that went on in the place. Men and women enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh out in the open. They continued on, ignoring the sounds of splashing water, flesh hitting flesh and the moans of pleasure. Another bouncer saw them and allowed them into the room. Inside, they saw a man who was sitting behind a desk. He looked up and smiled when he saw they group.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite group of killers. It is especially good to see you Sakura." He greeted. Sakura had changed very little in ways of looks. She did have a figure, which was still developing. The only thing that changed in her was the look of coldness in her eyes. She just folded her arms and looked at the man in front of her.

"You sent me a message Taira. I don't like my time wasted." Sakura said.

"Come on Sakura, not even a sweet greeting for me? I am the one who helped you on your way." Taira said with a smirk.

"And it is the only reason that you are not dead. You sent me a message. What is it?" she stated.

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "Remember that blond that you hate so much? What was his name? Ah, Naruto Uzumaki, that's it. Well, he's here in the country." He said.

"You better not be playing with me Taira." Sakura said dangerously.

"Well, not in the way that I want to but I'm not joking with you. He just entered the country with three others. Apparently, his team is here to investigate the old village that used to be in the country. Since the sun is about to set, I think that they will set up shop outside of the old ruins. If you hurry, you will get ahead of them." Taira said. Sakura quickly turned around and made her way out. Her team followed her as she moved quickly. They all took off in order to reach the Village Hidden in the Hot Springs.

_**XXX**_

The team decided to stop for the night. Instead of sleeping on the ground and in the forest, Yamato created and old looking house for them to sleep in. After getting orders from Yamato, the team decided to do something before getting some sleep. Naruto was standing outside on the roof, looking into the night sky. He just kept looking but he wasn't really paying attention to it's' beauty. He was waiting for someone and she had just arrived.

"I'm guessing that you want some answers." Tayuya said.

"That would be a start but if it isn't any of my business, I won't push the issue until I talk to Ino." Naruto said.

"Nah, I think you have a right to know. I know how stubborn she could be." Tayuya said. She sat next to him. "To start off, I use to be one of Orochimaru's guards. I'm one of the five people who came to break out the Uchiha. I was the only one who was captured. To my displeasure to admit, it was Ino and that meek wallflower of a Hyuga that did it. Anyway, I went through the usual things that happen to a captured shinobi when she came into my cell. Man, was I angry."

"Wait a minute, why was Ino there?" Naruto asked.

"She was the apprentice of Ibiki Morino and trained by Anko Mitarashi. Back to the story, she was there to do a mind scan. She did her job but she was too damn nosy for her own good. She saw things that she wasn't supposed to be looking into. It made her sympathic toward me. She kept trying to friend but I kept telling her to leave me alone. I was just waiting for my death. After about a month, I was getting annoyed because I wasn't dead. That's when the ANBU came and took me to your big-breasted Hokage." Tayuya said.

"Please tell me that you didn't insult her breast size?" Naruto asked with a sigh.

"How was I to know that she was sensitive? Besides, you call her 'granny' to her face. How is my insult worse than yours?" Tayuya said with a scowl.

"Never mind that, back to the story."

"After nursing my bruise, I was told that I was going to be given a chance to become a ninja again. She explained everything that was going to happen and what would happen if I did anything wrong. I was confused and I wanted to know why. She didn't tell me and it wasn't until three months later I found out why. Apparently, Ino attempted to appeal my execution due to what she gathered from my mind. Of course, she was laughed out of the room. In what I call the ultimate stupid move, she invaded several minds of the council and blackmailed them. Whatever she found out, it scared a lot of them."

"So, they caved under the threat and allowed you to live? I get that but what does that have to do with her now?" Naruto asked.

"She faced backlash that you cannot believe. Ibiki removed her as his apprentice, a lot of people wanted her removed as a ninja and her clan cut ties with her, including her father. If it wasn't for her teammates, sensei, Anko and the Hokage, she would have been destroyed. Tsunade put her up in your place just because you weren't using it. She still became a chunin and regained some of the respect she lost, at least among the shinobi." Tayuya explained.

"What about you? You two seem to be friends." Naruto said.

"Well, I owe her my life. Also, she needs all the help she can get. While many of her enemies are nothing more than an annoyance, there is one person who wants her dealt with." She explained.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"An elder named Danzō. Even now, he wants her imprisoned or worst. He hasn't let up on since it happened. In fact, a mission that we took together, Ino was targeted by some assassin. I know that he had a hand in it but I can't prove it. It hasn't happened again but I don't think that he's done." Naruto narrowed his eyes at what she just told him. He knew who was Danzō was and his dislike for the man went up some points.

"Thanks for telling me about this." Naruto said.

"Don't sweat it. The more allies that she's got, the more safe she will be. Well, I'll turn in. Goodnight Naruto." Tayuya said and walked away. Naruto returned the gesture and looked out into the sky. While his mind was on the mission, he would need to sit and talk to Ino. It would not be an easy one.

_**XXX**_

The next morning found the team inside the small ninja village. It was easy for them to get in, not running into any traps along the way. Yamato looked around the village before facing his team.

"Okay, I felt the layout of the village before we entered. We can cover more ground quickly if we split up. We will be using our radios to stay in contact." He said. Everyone did a check on their equipment to make sure that it was working. "Okay, I will be taking the north of the village. Tayuya, you head east while Sai takes west. Naruto, you have the south side of the village. I want everyone to check in in five minute intervals. Are we good?" Everyone nodded and vanished to complete their objectives. Unknown, four figures stepped out from a jutsu used on them. Sakura turned to her team.

"You have free reign to do what you want but the blond is mine." She said with authority. "Takeshi, Shinseki, Suika, I don't have to tell you to kill them all. They do not leave this village alive." With that Sakura took off after Naruto, keeping to the shadows.

"That girl has a serious hard on for the blond. Anyway, who do you guys want?" the other woman, Shinseki, asked.

"I'll take the girl. I might have some fun with her. I hope she puts up a fight." Takeshi said, licking his lips. He leaped away, heading east.

"Well, I want the pale one. He is one of _his_ and I would like to send a message to him. Later Suika." Shinseki said and vanished. Suika sighed at his group. He kept asking himself why he was with these children. One was a crazed nympho that loved killing. One was a thick headed, horny, immoral missing-nin from Stone Country. The final, their leader, was an obsessive girl with delusions of revenge of a dead kid. He wouldn't even be with people like this if it wasn't for the fact that they freed him from his cell. He owed a debt and once it was up, he was leaving.

With a sigh, he made his way north to kill a Konoha jonin.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_

Here's the new chapter of this story. I hope you like it.


	9. Chapter 9

The team was having little success in the old village that was the Hidden Hot Water village. They moved around each of their section and were having little success. Everything was just old and ruined. Each member of team Yamato was starting to have doubts about finding something. In the south, Naruto was going through what looked like some barracks.

Naruto searched each room but found nothing yet. With a sigh, he entered another barrack. Summoning clones, they all did a search of the rooms. The original entered a room and began to search. It would be a few minutes in when he found a worn out picture. Wiping away the dust, Naruto noticed something. It was one of the boys in the picture.

'_Hey, this guy could be just like that guy, Hidan.'_ Naruto thought. He looked over his area that he found the picture. He checked the drawers but found nothing. That is until he found something in a false hiding slot in one of the drawers in the night stand. He pulled out something that looked like a tome. The symbol was just like the symbol on the missing-nin's necklace. Naruto brought his hand to his neck.

"Hey guys, I might have found something." Naruto said over the radio.

"_What is it Naruto?"_ asked Yamato.

"Well," Naruto was cut off when he felt his clone gets dispelled. That's when another clone was dispelled. Naruto quickly took cover. "Guys, be alert. We are not alone. Two," he felt another clone get taken out. "Three of my clones were just taken out by arrows. I'm under attack." Naruto said and ducked for cover.

"_Hang on Naruto. We are on our,"_ Yamato's voice cut off.

"Yamato-sensei?!" Naruto called out.

"_Damn it, we are being attacked too!"_ Tayuya exclaimed over the radio. Naruto's attention turned back to the person or persons attacking him. Looking out the window, his eyes widen by the rain of arrows.

_**XXX**_

Yamato was trapped in some sort of web. Yamato looked in front of him to see Suika. The jonin narrowed his eyes at him.

"And why is Suika the bandit doing here? Last I knew, you were serving your time in a prison in the Hidden Waterfall." Yamato informed him.

"You know who I am? Well, that's a bad thing. If I'm going to disappear, I can't have you identify me." Suika said. He did some seals and inhaled. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" A ball of fire flew toward him. It hit him, blowing out the windows. Suika watched as the body burned. Suika turned to leave only to hear a voice.

"Wood Style: Giant Forest Jutsu!" Suika turned around to get slammed through the wall. Suika groaned but was able to get up. That's when Yamato charged forward, alive and unharmed. He engaged Suika in close combat. The two traded blows before locking each other in a stalemate. Yamato managed to slip in and toss Suika over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground. Suika quickly got over his pain and kicked Yamato in the chest.

Suika got some distance quickly and pulled out a kunai. Yamato did the same before launching himself at Suika again.

_**XXX**_

Sai dodged another slash and blocked a second slash that followed. His attacker was swinging her sickles with amazing speed and skill. Her rush was hard to break. He heard the call for help from Naruto and was about to leave when he was rushed from the side. He was able to counter the first attack but the attacks kept coming. They were too quick and she kept it up without pause. He couldn't even get any space to use his jutsu.

Finally there was an opening and Sai vanished using the Body Flicker. He appeared behind her and swung his tantō. His opponent easily dodged it and lashed out with a kick that caught him in the chest. Sai skid back and quickly readied himself. The female stood straight and gave Sai a crazed smile.

"Not bad for an emotional drone. That one armed freak is really good at finding talent." Shinseki said. Sai narrowed his eyes at that.

"Who are you?" Sai asked.

"Oh, I was like you. I was one of the children that he used and twisted into one of his soldiers. But I broke free, free of his control, free of his way and it feels good" Shinseki said with pleasure. That's when her grin got sinister. "I'm about to show him what real power is and make him pay for what he did to me. I will see every root dead!" With that, Shinseki charged forward.

_**XXX**_

Tayuya ducked the flying blade and tossed several shuriken at him. The young man just crossed his to protect himself. Tayuya watched as the shuriken bounced off his arms as it turned to stone. She then heard the weapon come back from behind. She jumped over it and landed on the side of a building. The young man just caught his weapon.

"You're pretty agile. It must mean that you're kind of flexible." Tayuya watched as he licked his lips. "That is going to be even more fun for me." Takeshi said with a leer. Tayuya narrowed her eyes at him. She pulled out her flute. She then bit her thumb and smeared it on her palm. Doing hand seals, she slammed her hand on the surface.

Summoning Jutsu!" she called out. Out of the smoke, stood three demons. Seeing this, Takeshi turned his whole body to stone. He grinned like a mad man at Tayuya.

"I love it when they fight." Takeshi said happily. Tayuya began to play and her demons launched forward to attack.

_**XXX**_

Naruto appeared on a branch and his eyes scanned the area. He didn't know where the attack came from. Lucky, he got out of there before he was killed.

'_Now, where are you?'_ Naruto thought. That's when someone dropped down from above. Naruto spun around and pulled out his kunai. It blocked the dagger somewhat, as the tip pierced his shoulder. He looked at his attacker and was stunned at who it was.

"S-Sakura?" he said with shock.

"Hello Naruto. Now die." She snarled and pushed her dagger forward. Naruto grunted and pushed back against her. Sakura tried to put more pressure but she was suddenly hit by something invisible. She flipped in mid-air and landed on her feet. She looked up to see 'Naruto' dispel and looked forward only to be punched in the face. Naruto launched another Air Blade but Sakura managed to block it with her dagger, though she was pushed back. She stood at the ready as did Naruto. The two former teammates faced each other with dark intentions.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Naruto demanded.

"I thought it was obvious? I'm here to kill you Naruto. You, Itachi, Orochimaru, the Hidden Leaf, the Akatsuki, I'm going to destroy you all." Sakura stated. Naruto narrowed his eyes at her when they suddenly widen in acknowledgement. He remembered something that Jiraiya told him when they were on the training trip.

"It's you. You're the one who is attacking the Hidden Leaf, the Hidden Sound and the Akatsuki. Are you out of your mind? You need to stop this Sakura. You're going to get yourself killed." Naruto said.

"No, I'm never going to stop! You all are going to pay for what happened to Sasuke. I am now the avenger and I will succeed." Sakura stated.

"Even now, this is all about Sasuke? Sasuke made his choice and he paid for it. You continue down this path and you will end up just like him." Naruto said with an edge.

"DON'T YOU LECTURE ME! YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE ARE TO BLAME FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO SASUKE! ITACHI FOR KILLING HIS FAMILY, OROCHIMARU FOR THAT MARK, FOR NOT PROTECTING HIM AND YOU, FOR TRYING TO BE BETTER THAN HIM! THAT'S WHAT DROVE HIM TO HIS CHOICES! I COULD HAVE HEALED HIM BUT YOU ALL GOT IN MY WAY! **NOW**, YOU'RE ALL GOING TO PAY!" Sakura shouted and launched herself at Naruto. Naruto just got ready.

_**XXX**_

Suika was dodging and jumping around the wooden stakes that were trying to pierce him. He cursed his luck. He did not think that he would be facing the Wood Style. He thought that style of jutsu died with the First Hokage. He knew the power of this style as one of his village's most dangerous missing-nin's failed to defeat it. He glared at Yamato who had several wooden stakes surrounding him that killed his summoned spiders. Suika knew that he would not survive or that he could be captured again. He wasn't about to let that happen. He did hand seals.

"Fire Style: Flame Hurricane!"

"Water Style: Water Wall!" the two jutsu collided and canceled each other out. The steam was intense and hid the two men. Yamato waited for an attack but after a while, nothing happened. The steam faded and cleared away. Yamato saw that Suika was no longer in the room. He ignored him for now and quickly rushed out to help Naruto. As he left the room, a piece of the wall was tearing off.

_**XXX**_

Sai sat on his bird but he had to dodge the blades of wind. He countered with ink birds that carried explosive notes. Shinseki would do some hand seals and the wind whipped up around her. A tornado of wind surrounded her and shredded the ink birds. The explosive notes went off but it did not even get close to her. When the tornado disappeared, Shinseki was gone.

Sai was looking around when Shinseki reappeared right in front of him. She smirked and beheaded Sai and his bird. She was surprised to see them both explode into ink. That's when she saw an explosive notes. The explosion sent her crashing into the ground with some force. Sai did not let her get up, dive bombing on his bird. He jumped off and used gravity to increase his power. He landed, driving his tantō into Shinseki's chest. The impact created a crater.

Shinseki was gasping in pain until she gave Sai a crazed grin. She grabbed Sai and pulled him forward. Sai's eyes widen when she began to glow. The explosion rocked the area. There was a smoke cloud that could be seen from everywhere. Shinseki appeared on one side of the crater and looked around for Sai. She didn't think that she killed the allusive shinobi. After a while, she saw something heading south. It made her scoff.

"Well, I'm a little disappointed. I haven't gotten warmed up yet. Guess I better meet up with Sakura." Shinseki vanished with the wind.

_**XXX**_

Takeshi was sent flying through another building. He looked up and raised his blade to block the huge club. The ground under him cracked and sunk. The other two summonses appeared and attacked him from each side. Takeshi pushed the club aside and jumped into the air to avoid the attack. That's when all three opened their mouths and some worms appeared, launching themselves toward him. They latched onto Takeshi. The man noticed that his chakra was being sucked out of him and quickly cut them away. That's when he rolled himself into a ball as the club wielding demon sent him through another building.

Takeshi hit the ground and rolled out onto his feet. He was grinned through the whole thing.

"You can't hurt me bitch! Nothing can cut through me!" Takeshi shouted. Tayuya appeared and attempted to stab him. The man caught he wrist and held her in the air. Takeshi grinned as she struggled to escape. He licked her face before grabbing her throat. She glared at him "I like that look on your face. It excites me." He then slammed her to the ground. Tayuya continued to struggle. "Stop struggling and just accept what's going to happen."

"The… hell… I… will…" Tayuya snarled. Takeshi suddenly had enough and snapped her neck. Tayuya looked shocked. That was until she dissolved. Takeshi was stunned until his hands were suddenly restrained. His world changed and he was held over a lake of blood. From out of that lake, copies of Tayuya began to form. They all had a sword in hand.

"Try and rape me will you? I bet you're not all stone. Let's see if you're still flesh where your little guy is." They all said and thrust forward. Takeshi was roaring in pain as the blades were dug into his genitals. They kept digging in and Takeshi kept screaming. That's until he unleashed his rage and his chakra. It dispelled the genjutsu but not his rage.

"_**WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BITCH!**_" Takeshi roared. That's when he turned into a wooden stake. Takeshi was sent flying through the air and out of the village. The stake did not pierce his skin but he was hurt. He was still very pissed and sliced off the stake with his lance. He returned to the area where he did battle but he could no longer find the demons, the girl or the person who hit him with that jutsu. He had a good idea where they were going. He took off toward the south to deal with that red haired bitch.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_

Man, this took me a while. I was trying to get the whole thing in one chapter but their was just too much ideas for this. It will end in the next chapter, that much I promise. Enjoy the chapter.


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